Image 8 of 15 from SpaceShipTwo heading for 2008 test flight

Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo

Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo
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Brian Binnie inside SpaceShipTwo pilot Simulator Launch vehicle construction at Scaled Composites SpacePort America Image: Foster + Partners SpacePort America Image: Foster + Partners
Sir Richard Branson and Burt Rutan SpaceShipTwo construction Burt Rutan inside SS2 Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo
Image 9 of 15 from SpaceShipTwo heading for 2008 test flight Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo and WhiteKnightTwo Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo and WhiteKnightTwo
SS2 technical snapshot Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo SpacePort America design Image: Foster + Partners
Article Summary
February 4, 2008 The era of private space travel is another step closer to reality with Virgin Galactic revealing designs for the craft set to become the flagship of the world's first spaceline. Based on SpaceShipOne, which claimed the $10 million Ansari X Prize in October 2004 by successfully becoming the first private manned spacecraft to exceed an altitude of 328,000 feet twice within the span of a 14 day period, SpaceShipTwo and its carrier aircraft WhiteKnightTwo are now approaching completion at Scaled Composites in Mojave, California. Flight testing set to get underway towards the middle of this year for what will be the world’s largest all carbon composite aircraft, capable of carrying eight astronauts or other payloads into sub-orbital space.

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